Jabra Engage 65 Wireless Headset

In Brief

Jabra’s much loved wireless Engage headset for Desk Phone and PC/Mac. Feature-packed, reliable, lightweight and with excellent sound, this has been the headset of choice for the Simply team since it came out. Available in mono and stereo (one earcup or 2) and also a convertible style which comes with an earhook included (we don’t love this model quite as much). Connects via RJ phone style to most phones and to PC / USB desk phones via USBA cable. Certified for Teams and all major softphones. As with all standard desk phone headsets, an accessory is required if you want the freedom to answer calls by pressing a button on the headset. Launch Date – April 2018

What We Love

+ Easy to use and switch between devices –  one less thing to think about
+ Great quality sound both ways –  makes busy days less tiring and ensures you sound professional to clients
+ Noise cancelling in microphone is excellent –  your client will hear ONLY you
+ Wear with microphone on left or right side – suits all preferences
+ Convenient mute button on microphone –  no scrabbling around on your earcup when you’re about to sneeze!
+ Bright busy light on earcups AND on the end on the microphone – your colleagues will know when you’re not to be interrupted
+ Up to 13 hour talk time –  enough for even your businest days!
+ Lightweight and comfortable for all day use
+ Use in the office with a desk phone & PC,  and add a Link 400 to take just the headset home and use with a PC (only) –  Hybrid working lifestyle sorted!

What We Don’t Love

– Not very portable for hybrid workers unless you also get the dongle, that’s just the nature of headsets that work with desk phones.
– No option for Active Noise Cancelling in the earcups
– Ummmm… yup, that’s it

The Blurb

The Jabra Engage 65 launched in April 2018 and it’s the perfect headset if you want to connect to a desk phone and your computer.

The Engage 65 models come in 3 variants. All are compatible with Skype for Business and all major softphone applications: There is the Mono version, which is a straight forward over the head, ear cushion on one ear style. There is a neckband accessory available separately. Also available are the… Stereo, a headband only ‘2 eared’ model and the which has earhook and earbud only included but a headband or neckband are available as separate accessories. All of the options can be worn with the microphone arm on the left or the right. The Convertible has a shorter battery life and is lighter in weight & reduced range but apart from that all the specs are MOSTLY the same across the variants.

As with all wireless headsets you will need an accessory to answer calls from the desk phone when out of reach. We know, it seems crazy that even such a sophisticated headset as this can’t perform this apparently simple task but there are so many different phones all with different requirements that this functionality just can’t be built into the headset. We call it a RAD (remote answering device). It could be a standard handset lifter or a special ‘electronic hook switch’ (EHS) cable that runs from the base unit to the telephone – it all depends on which make and model phone you have. If your phone has a USB headset port you may not need this but at time of writing, those phones are as rare as hens’ teeth.

Simply Headsets strongly recommends you download Jabra software to get the most of out the Engage headsets… , .

As far as the brand goes, Jabra is one of the most established and renowned leaders in the headset market, so you can’t fault this headset, whichever way you turn. The Engage Series is a little more than the older Pro 9450 but is has some features that may well make it worth it for you.

The Good

As we’ve come to expect from Jabra you’ll get great quality sound. The Engage series has top notch sound both ways – the mono and stereo options are the first in their class to meed the Skype for Businesses Open Office requirements (trust us, that’s a tough test to pass). It has a directional noise cancelling microphone(G-MOS, Tx, CC 4.3, Dual Microphone – ECM Uni-Directional and Analog MEMS system for the tech-heads out there) and superior speakers (P-MOS, Rx, Silent 4.4) that switch automatically to optimise music sound when you’re not on a call. As you’d expect these top of the line headsets also protect your hearing against sound spikes.

Battery life – 13 hours of talk time and 52 hours of standby is amazing. There’s also a fast charge feature (in case you forgot to power-up overnight) which gives you over 5 hours of talk time in just 30mins. As with all headsets battery life decreases with distance – ie if you wander far from the base unit all time but you can of course replace the battery. However the unique ‘Powernap’ feature of the Engage extends that standby time even further when it’s not been used for 30 minutes.

One the annoying things about wearing a wireless headset is that colleagues are never sure if you’re on a call or not, so they will either blunder on in and you have to show them ‘the hand’ or (if they’re a bit more considerate) there’s the ever popular over exaggerated ‘are you on a call?’ mime. Happily Jabra has banished this issue with a built in busy light. On the mono and stereo versions this light is on both the earpiece and on the end of the microphone boom (or arm). On the convertible option it’s just on the earpiece.

Density & Security – it’s an important consideration when it comes to wireless, particularly if you’re kitting out an office. Too may wireless headsets up close and personal to each other will cause interference and loss of sound quality. The Engage series has increased density capacity so you can have 3 times as many headsets in a small space as before. Additionally this is a super-secure headset, with features going beyond DECT Secure Level C, which provides the highest protection. 256-bit AES encryption. 128-bit authentication.

Need a portable headset that will work at home with a PC or you can travel with from time to time? This is it too! Jabra released a firmware update in Dec 2018 that means you can plug the headset into a standard micro USB cable then a PC for use as a corded headset.

Other stuff we thought was nifty:

* Volume up and down function: The headset knows which way up you’re wearing it so you know that the top button always means volume up.

*The mute button is on the mic making it easy to locate (and you can set a reminder so you don’t waffle on forgetting your caller can’t hear you).

* You can conference up to 3 additional headsets onto one base unit – great for conference calls or training.

* You can record calls made from mobiles or desk phones onto your computer (of course you’ll need the caller’s permission for that!) Great for call monitoring, authentication or agreement to terms and conditions or important calls you need to refer to in the future (NB 3rd party recording software is required).

The Not-So-Good

Unfortunately, the Engage 65s won’t connect to a mobile phone, so if you’re getting a lot of inbound calls coming through via your mobile phone, you’re better off looking at the glorious new with more connections than you can shake a stick at.

The Verdict

This is the latest all mod cons headset from Jabra. If you have dense usage, need extra security or just want the top specs; this is your new favourite gadget!

Other Headsets You Should Consider Before Buying

On a bit of a budget? The older is available at a lower price and has 2 wearing styles included, but do check what you’re losing out on!

If you’re a bells and whistles kind of person you must have a look at the . Poly’s offering is the .

Specifications
SKU	Jabra-Engage-65
Manufacturer	Jabra
Product Type	Computer Wireless, Office Wireless
Standby Time	52hrs
Wireless Technology	DECT
Talk Time	13hrs
Warranty	2 Year
Wearing Style	Over the head (one ear), Over the head (two ears)
Connection Type	Base unit to phone RJ (handset/headset port), USB
Software Compatabilty	Apple, Dragon Naturally Speaking, MacSpeech, MOC & Lync, Skype, Unified Communications, Voice Recognition Software, Windows, MS Teams Compatible, Zoom Compatible
Ear Cushion Material	Leatherette
Speaker Frequency Response	40Hz-16kHz
Ear Cushion Size	39mm
Mic Frequency Response	100Hz – 10kHz
Headset Weight	57g
Coverage Range	Wireless Range
Charge Time	90 mins (40% in 30 mins)
Charger Type	Base Unit
Conference Additonal Headsets	3
Coverage Range [Wireless]	150m
Best Use	Noisy Office, Quiet Office
Application	Desk Phone + Computer
Audio Qualities	Enhanced (DSP) Digital Sound Processing, Mono sound, Noise cancelling mic, Noise protection, Peakstop Protection, Wideband Audio, Wideband mic
This product is featured in	, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Features

• Works with deskphone & softphone/computer
• Easy installation with SmartSetup wizard
• Ultra -secure DECT Level C
• Up to 3 x more density – perfect for call centres
• Up to 150 meters wireless range
• Busy light built in

Manufacturers Description

The Jabra Engage 65 Engineered to be the world’s most powerful professional wireless headsets

The Jabra Engage 65 is an entirely new class of DECT wireless professional headsets engineered to boost customer satisfaction.

Industry-leading professional wireless performance. Better customer connections. Provides superior wireless connectivity to a range of up to 150m/490ft. Enables 3x more users to operate in the same office space – with no loss in connection quality.

Crystal-clear calls. Enhance the customer experience. Advanced noise-cancelling microphone and enhanced speakers deliver crystal-clear calls even in noisy ffices. Meets Skype for Business Open Office requirements.(Mono & Stereo versions)

More talk time, less interruption. Increase productivity. Up to 13 hours talk time and a busylight that acts as a do-not-disturb sign for colleagues.

Increase availability for calls. Connect to up to two devices simultaneously. Can connect to 1 USB device (softphone or desk phone) and 1 analog phone.

Choice of wearing styles. Support different workstyles. With stereo, mono and lightest-in-category convertible models, there’s a Jabra Engage for everyone.